Two Central Lakes College students were awarded national honors by the American Sign Language Honor Society in its literature competition.
This year’s competition theme was number stories, or the art of telling a story using manual ASL numbers in order, to tell a story in sign language. An ASL storyteller tells a story based on the handshapes of ASL signs from the handshape 1 to 10 or further.
CLC student Vicki Johnson-Sherbrooke, from Aitkin, earned 2nd place in the ‘native’ category with an original number story titled “Banana Thief.”
Student Lauren Elson, from Breezy Point, was awarded 2nd place in the ‘novice’ category with her original story titled “Dirty Diaper.”
Through their participation in the prestigious annual national literature competition, students are challenged to immerse themselves in the realm of storytelling and the captivating artistry of ASL. This esteemed competition pays homage to the visionary ASL storyteller Eric ‘Malz’ Malzkuhn, who played a pivotal role as one of the early pioneers of ASL storytelling. It serves as a platform to celebrate the meaningful integration of classroom learning with the wider community, allowing participants to showcase their creativity and linguistic skills.
Winning number story videos for Johnson-Sherbrooke and Elson can be seen on the ASL Honor Society Facebook page or on YouTube.